Bottle-opener



N0. 752,776. PATENTBD FEB. 23, 1904.:

F. B. HQRTON.

BOTTLE OPENER.-

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

\A/ITN ES s -5.8

' cap inconvenience and annoyance have been UNITED STATES PatentedFebruary 23, 1904:

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK B. HORTON, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOTTLE-OPENER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of LettersPatent N0. 752,776, dated February23, 19.04.

Application filed August 20, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK B. HORTON, a citizen of the United States,residing at'Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachu setts,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-Openers; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to an improvement in bottle-openers, andmore particularly to an improvement in devices for removing andreplacing the caps of wide-mouthed bottlleis, such as paper-cappedmilk-bottles or the As milk bottles are very generally constructed thewide mouths are provided with a shoulder slightly below the top of thebottle from which the walls of the bottle contract upwardly to thetop.After the bottle has been filled it is closed by means of a pasteboardcap slightly larger than the mouth of the bottle, which is pressedthrough the mouth down upon the shoulder, the tapering walls of themouth above the shoulder serving to hold the cap in place. In removingthis paper experienced because of the liability of the cap to yieldsuddenly under the pressure of the instrument employed to remove it orbecause of the difliculty of getting at the cap with the ordinaryimplements at hand, all of which were. objectionable because of thefrequent spattering and spilling of the contents of the bottle.Furthermore, it is frequently desired after removing the cap from abottle and pouring out a portion of its contents to replace the cap inthe bottle, so as to preserve the remainder of the contents until theneed therefor arises. After a cap has been removed in the ordinarymanner it is so frequently torn or injured that its further use isimpossible.

The object of my invention is to produce a device for removing andreplacing such bottle-caps without spattering the contents or suchinjury to the cap ;as to prevent the same from being replaced topreserve the contents of the bottle until it shall be needed.

To the above ends the present invention Serial No, 120.322. (No model.)

,consists in the device hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the preferred form of myinvention, Figure 1 is an elevation of my device. Fig. 2 is a plan ofthe same; and Fig. 3 is a view showing the device in place in the cap ofthe bottle, 7

the bottle and cap being shown in vertical section.

In the drawings the handle 1 consists of two coils of wire, one end ofthe Wire extending downwardly and then substantially at right angles tothe point or prong 2, which is adapted to pass through the cap 3 andengage the under side of the same. The prong'2 has a pointed anddownwardly-inclined end, so that when it is pressed against the top ofthe cap 3 it penetrates the same and then slides along until thevertical portion 4 engages the side of the hole.

The device thus far described in and of itself constitutes a completeand operative bottleopener, and my invention viewed in its broaderaspects contemplates and includes such or equivalent construction. Itwill be observed, however, that this device as thus far described couldnot conveniently be used for replacing the cap upon the bottle. Iprefer, therefore, to employ in connection therewith means for engagingthe upper surface of the cap near its periphery, so that the cap may beheld and retained between such means and the prong underneath and easilyreplaced. To the above end, therefore, I have extended the end 5 of thehandle-coil around the vertical member 4 and thence spirally outward,as

shown best in Fig. 2, until the periphery of the disk-like spiral 6 thusformed is ofsuch size as to engage the upper side of the cap near itsperiphery. It will be observed that the spiral 6 is resilient and thatthe cap is engaged and held between the prong and the spiral withelastic pressure. The portion of the edge of the spiral oppositethe'prong conduces to the easy insertion of the prong in the cap withoutliability of tearing the same during insertion of the prong or duringthe removal of the cap and at the same time holds the cap fromaccidental displacement when it is out of the bottle.

My invention contemplates a cap-remover having a handle, a prong to beinserted through and to engage the under side of the cap, and means foryieldingly engaging the upper side of the cap opposite the prong. Myinvention also contemplates a cap remover and replacer having means forpenetrating and engaging the under side of the cap and cooperating meansfor engaging the upper side of the cap near the periphery of the same,so that the cap may be replaced after it has been removed.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. A bottle-cap remover and replacer having a handle,a prong to penetrate the cap and ing a prong to penetrate the cap andengage the under side of the same, and a substantially circular memberresiliently connected to the prong and engaging the upper side of thecap near its periphery.

3. A bottle-cap remover and replacer formed of a single piece of wire,the intermediate portion of the wire being bent to form a handle, oneend of the wire being bent to the form of a hook or prong, and the otherend being bent to the formof a spiral adjacent to the hook and in aplane substantially parallel thereto, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK B. HORTON.

